Ladybug knew that black spot well. It bounced from building to building as she watched curiously, always getting closer as it bobbed and weaved. What was Cat Noir up to now? As the speck of partner got bigger and bigger, she studied his face - and saw the worry that pulled on his expression.

When he finally reached her, he made no attempt at slowing down at all. The wind whistled as he grabbed her around the waist as he rushed past, flinging them both over the dome she'd been standing on. Ladybug went limp in his hold and distantly wondered what was wrong. Their feet slid down the other side as she twisted in his arms and placed her hands around his neck to keep herself steady.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "An akuma?"

"No," he said breathlessly. "Worse." He shifted his hold on her - hooking his hands underneath her legs so he could move more quickly - and jumped to the next building.

She twisted again, her eyes scanning the buildings for the danger behind them. A hulking figure bounded across the rooftops, large and almost formless. She squinted. Something was familiar about the way he was moving, though she couldn't make out any features.

It was several blocks before Cat Noir set her down, panting. "I think we lost him," he said. He put his hands on his knees and gasped.

Ladybug looked behind them. The skyline was clear and still, but movement at the far end of the street caught her attention. The figure was still there, farther behind but gaining ground fast as he ran down the quiet Paris streets. "Do you want to explain what's going on?" she asked.

"Not really," he said, turning to follow her gaze. "Oh no." Cat Noir spun back around and ran.

Ladybug waited until she could make out a few details. Hulking shoulders, stomping feet, large sideburns. Her few seconds of observing gave Cat Noir a small lead, but she caught up to him with ease.

"Why is Adrien's bodyguard following us?" she asked.

Cat Noir said nothing, just climbed up the nearest rain gutter and disappeared out of sight on the roof. They spent the rest of the patrol this way, trying to follow their normal route, taking detours to avoid the Gorilla, dodging down unfamiliar side streets when their pursuer got too close, breathing sighs of relief that turned out to be unearned when they spotted him coming out from behind a corner.

The longer route wore on, the more amused Ladybug became. Cat Noir seemed panicked, a little fearful, but he was not above joking about their situation.

"Did you kill Adrien or something?" she asked. "Why is this guy chasing you?"

"I may or may not have broken into the Agreste mansion."

At least, Ladybug hoped it was a joke. He seemed to smile a little and waved off her concerns, so she figured it was nothing super awful, but when she let the jokes fall away, his cat ears flattened and he avoided her questions.

An hour later landed them on the top of Tour Montparnasse, and Cat Noir sat down and took a relieved breath. "He has no way of following us up here. The building is closed."

The roof access door blasted open with so much force that it ricocheted off the wall, chipping the bricks. The Gorilla stalked up to them, barely even breathing hard, his eyes fixed on the two heroes. The man was a tank.

Cat Noir bounced to his feet, eyes wide, ready to flee. But as he turned, Ladybug grabbed him by the tail.

"We should just get it over with," she said. Her fingers wrapped around the leather of his tail, holding him in place.

Cat Noir leaned against her hold as their pursuer walked up to them. "No," he said. "You don't understand."

In a feeble attempt to shield himself, Cat Noir held his baton out in front of him, but that only gave the Gorilla an opportunity to snatch it away. Cat Noir lunged, but Ladybug shot an arm in front of his chest, blocking him from grabbing it back. The Gorilla nodded in thanks and took a step backward.

With fingers that were much more deft than they looked, and with an unsettling amount of knowledge on how the magical weapon worked, the Gorilla slid open the screen of the baton and started poking buttons.

"Do you want me to-" Cat Noir started.

"Shh," Ladybug said.

Only a few seconds later, the Gorilla turned the baton around to show them both a phone number and then hit the call button before handing it back to Cat Noir. In one of his many pockets, the Gorilla's phone started ringing.

Ladybug raised an eyebrow when she heard their own theme song, tinny and muffled.

The Gorilla pulled the phone out and held it up to his ear. The heroes stared at him, waiting for something to happen.

"Oh." Cat Noir looked down at the baton in his hand, then held it up to his ear and said, "You want me to call you if I need something?"

Ladybug caught her breath. Her partner's voice. It sounded so familiar. Why should that surprise her? She'd seen him every day for over a year. But it was familiar in a way that it never had before. Soft and hesitant.

The Gorilla nodded to answer Cat Noir's question before hanging up and putting the phone back into his pocket, only to hold out a hand in front of Ladybug. She handed him the yoyo and watched as he gave her his number, as well.

When he was finished, he smiled, which looked more like a grimace, and pulled Cat Noir into a hug that nearly swallowed him. Only a few tufts of golden hair poked up between the massive arms. And then he set Cat Noir down, patted him on the head, and showed himself out the way he'd come.

The two were left staring at the door for several seconds.

"How did he get up here?" Cat Noir finally whispered. "The building is closed."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes at him. "I think the more important question is why he's so intent on protecting you." Ideas she didn't want to examine started poking their heads up.

"Uh," Cat Noir said, pretending to study the new number in his baton. "Must be a fan of mine. Of us! He gave you his number too. He loves us."

"Sure," Ladybug said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "He sure loves 'us' a lot."

---

Author's note: Written for Day 6 of Gorilla Appreciation Week: Protect. (I may or may not have meant to finish this back in December.)